Chilly weekend, with rain at times and flakes in some areas; River level update

Our weekend weather will be chilly for late April.

The average Twin Cities high temperature is 63 degrees on April 29. Metro area highs could reach the lower 50s this Saturday.

Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have Saturday highs in the 50s, with some upper 40s in parts of northeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Temperature trends

Sunday highs will be in the 50s in western Minnesota, with mainly 40s elsewhere:

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the lower 50s on Monday, then around 60 degrees Tuesday followed by upper 60s Wednesday and Thursday and lower 60s Friday.

A few spots in the metro area could touch 70 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday.

Rain at times, some flakes too

Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have rain showers at times this Saturday. A few flakes may mix with the showers in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.

A few scattered thunderstorms are also possible later this afternoon and early Saturday evening, especially in western and southern Minnesota. There could be an isolated late afternoon/early evening thunderstorm in the metro area too.

• Periods of precipitation are likely in much of eastern Minnesota and Wisconsin overnight Saturday night and also on Sunday.

• It may be mainly snow in northeastern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin Saturday night and Sunday morning, with a mix of rain and snow elsewhere in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

• Portions of eastern Minnesota and much of western Wisconsin will see rain showers at times Sunday afternoon, but northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin could see a rain/snow mix.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 6 p.m. Saturday to 9 p.m. Sunday:

Snow amounts and flood watch

Parts of northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin could see 1 to 3 inches of snow Saturday night into Sunday morning, with higher snow totals in parts of north-central Wisconsin:

A winter weather advisory has been posted for Ashland and Iron Counties of north-central Wisconsin (and several additional counties eastward) Saturday night and Sunday morning:

The flood watch (dark green) continues until 7 p.m. Sunday in portions of northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin:

Flood Watch National Weather Service Duluth MN 744 AM CDT Sat Apr 29 2023 MNZ012-020-021-WIZ001>004-007>009-010000- /O.CON.KDLH.FA.A.0001.000000T0000Z-230501T0000Z/ /00000.0.RS.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ Northern Cook and Lake-Southern Lake-Southern Cook-Douglas-Bayfield- Ashland-Iron-Washburn-Sawyer-Price- Including the cities of Hurley, Grand Marais, Superior, Ashland, Phillips, Silver Bay, Hayward, Isabella, Bayfield, Washburn, Two Harbors, and Spooner 744 AM CDT Sat Apr 29 2023 ...FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING... * WHAT...Flooding caused by rain and snowmelt continues to be possible. * WHERE...Portions of northeast Minnesota and Wisconsin, including the following counties, in northeast Minnesota, Cook and Lake. In Wisconsin, Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, Iron, Price, Sawyer and Washburn Counties. * WHEN...Through Sunday evening. * IMPACTS...Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - Rain that fell Friday night in northwest Wisconsin will continue to move downstream this weekend and may cause further rises in waterways, especially those that drain into Lake Superior along the South Shore. The Minnesota Arrowhead continues to have a deep and primed snow pack containing two to six inches of liquid equivalent water content that could enhance runoff into creeks and streams in far northeast Minnesota this weekend from additional rainfall and spring melting. Inland northwest Wisconsin continues to see very high soil saturation so any additional moderate to locally heavy rainfall through Sunday could cause ponding of water. - Flood safety information can be found at www.weather.gov/safety/flood. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.

You can find updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network.

River levels

Rivers remain at flood stage in many parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with rivers still at major flood stage at several locations.

Rivers have crested in many spots, and those rivers will tend to lower over the next several days.

You can check the river levels at various locations in northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin here. This is how the linked map looked Saturday morning:

You can find info on river levels elsewhere in Minnesota and western Wisconsin here.
This is how the linked map looked Saturday morning:

You can zoom in on the linked map page and get detailed info on river levels at a specific location.

I should mention that river levels are measured in relation to the height above a local benchmark. In some locations, river levels are listed in feet above sea level.

You can find info on river levels in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota here. Here’s how the linked map looked Saturday morning:

Here’s the hydrograph of recent, current and forecast levels for the Mississippi River at St. Paul:

The Mississippi River crested at 18.24 feet at the St. Paul gauge Wednesday morning and it’s still at major flood stage. It’s expected to lower to moderate flood stage later today and then continue to lower this coming week.

Here’s a pic of the Mississippi River floodwaters covering portions of Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul Saturday morning:

Here’s the area around the Clarence Wigington Pavilion at Harriet Island Regional Park Saturday morning:

The images are from St. Paul’s Mississippi River Camera page, which rotates among several different views of the river.

The Mississippi River is at moderate flood stage at Hastings and Red Wing.

Here’s the hydrograph for the St. Croix River at Stillwater:

The St. Croix River crested at 89.26 feet on Monday, which was at major flood stage. It’s now at minor flood stage and it will continue to lower over the next several days.

Here are the historic St. Croix River crests at the Stillwater gauge:

Here’s the hydrograph of recent, current and forecast levels for the Red River at Fargo, N.D.:

The Red River at Fargo crested just below major flood stage last Saturday and it’s now at minor flood stage and it will continue to fall in the coming days.

Weather nugget

The Twin Cities record high for today is 92 degrees, set in 1952. the Twin Cities high was 91 degrees the next day, on April 30, 1952.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.